Sachen
Sachen ( ), also known as Thin Chen Enterprise, Commin (on handheld games only) was a Taiwanese developer and publisher of unlicensed games for the NES/Famicom, Game Boy and Mega Drive/Genesis, and licensed games for the Mega Duck and Supervision handhelds. Sachen started activities in late 1988. In 1989 they released their first game, Jovial Race which was developped by a branch named Joy Van. At the end of 1989, Sachen and Joy Van merged and all subsequent games were credited to Thin Chen Enterprises or Sachen. Around 1992-3, the company started to focus on other consoles than the Famicom such as the Mega Duck and the Game Boy. Sachen stopped actively developing games around 1995-6, but a group of ex-Sachen staff continued to develop games for other publishers after this point. From 1999-2002 Sachen released four new Game Boy Color games (three of which were NES ports) which would be their final new releases. Sachen ceased activities in early 2007. While most of Sachen's early games were original, albeit sometimes derivative, some of their later releases were unauthorised ports (such as Super Pang, Super Pang II, Gaiapolis and Mei Shao Nu Meng Gong Chang) or used assets of existing games (Samurai Spirits, Mahjong Academy, Rocman X). Games NES / Famicom TC Series *TC-001 Jovial Race (Rally-X clone unrelated to BB Car) *TC-002 Hidden Chinese Chess (a Banqi/Dark Chess game) *TC-003 Sidewinder *TC-004 Little Red Hood *TC-005 Silent Assault, aka Raid (Contra derivative released in the US by Color Dreams, Brazil by Milmar, and Australia by Home Entertainment Suppliers .) *TC-006 Twin Eagle (released in the US as Double Strike: Aerial Attack Force by American Video Entertainment) *TC-007 Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu (a platformer released in the U.S. by Color Dreams and Brazil by Milmar.) *TC-008 Metal Fighter, aka Joyvan Kid (released in the US by Color Dreams , Australia by Home Entertainment Suppliers, though only on the Funblaster Pak multi, and in Japan by Kinema Music) *TC-009 Galactic Crusader, aka Incantation or Papillon Gals (released in the US by Color Dreams ; the Papillon Gals, sometimes misspelled as Padillon Gais, release adds nudity and was released in Japan by Kinema Music and Asia by Sachen themselves.) *TC-010 Mahjong Trap (last game released under the "Joy Van" name; contains nudity. An alternate version released in Japan by Hacker International as Shisen Mahjong: Seifuku Hen features a different title and nude images.) *TC-011 Challenge of the Dragon, aka Chinese Kungfu (少林武者, similar to Double Dragon and unrelated to the Color Dreams game of the same name; credits show the Joy Van logo indicating that this was started before the Joy Van/Sachen merge. Chinese Kungfu version features a basic jump move instead of a jump kick.) *TC-012 The World of Card Games, aka Poker I (4-in-1: Omnibus Hearts, Fan Tan, Chinese Rummy, The Clock) *TC-013 Poker II (4-in-1: Max 2 (Big 2), Ghost Buster (possibly Sets), 99, Change Around (Hearts)) *TC-014 Strategist *TC-015 Olympic I.Q. *TC-016 Happy Pairs (Mahjong solitaire) *TC-017 Auto-Upturn (puzzle game, contains nudity in later levels) *TC-018 Magic Cube (puzzle game) *TC-019 Chinese Checkers *TC-020 Poker III (5-in-1: King of Casino, King Poker, Poker, Blackjack, The 13 Cards) *TC-021 Super Pang (port of the arcade Pang) *TC-022 Super Pang II (port of the arcade Super Pang) *TC-023 Popo Team ''(Gameplay based off the old computer game ''Oil's Well ''.) *TC-024 ''Rockball ''(gameplay is strikingly similar to the Turbografx-16 game ''Chew Man Fu ) *TC-025 Silver Eagle *TC-026 Q-Boy (platformer; a prototype screenshot in the back of certain Sachen game manuals shows the game being named Puff Kid at one point and containing an "Options" menu) *TC-027 Street Heroes, aka Samurai Spirits (one of only three NES fighting games to use voice samples, the others being Street Fighter IV and ''Fighting Hero III'') *TC-028 ''Jurassic Boy'' (''Sonic'' clone. The NES manual mentions abilities from the original Sonic games that this game lacks, such as rolling along the ground and spin dash, and the game itself contains numerous unused sprites, suggesting these features were planned. Says Jurassic Boy 2 on title screen.) *TC-029 Gaiapolis (arcade port) *TC-030 Rocman X, aka Thunder Blaster Man *TC-031 (Either does not exist or an unconfirmed ID for Princess Maker?) *TC-032 Zhong Guo Da Heng, aka Millionaire II and Chuugoku Taitei SA series Most of these games were programmed by Li-Cheang Tchacvosky. *SA-001 Taiwan 16 Mahjong *SA-002 ''The Penguin and Seal'' (released in Australia by Home Entertainment Suppliers as Arctic Adventure. The early Famicom version, Dong Dong Nao 1, features a much simpler music than the better-known NES versions, sounding much like Taiwan 16 Mahjong's audio. The more common version got a Famicom release afterwards.) *SA-003 Middle School English ''(AKA ''Dong Dong Nao 2) *SA-004 Lucky 777 *SA-005 Colorful Dragon (maze game; released in the US by Color Dreams as Tagin' Dragon) *SA-006 Honey Peach (strip rock-paper-scissors game.) *SA-007 Bingo 75 (slot-machine simulator with nudity) *SA-008 The Mahjong World (released in Japan as Mahjong Summit Kabukicho Hen by Hacker .) *SA-009 Pyramid (puzzle game; released in the US by AVE and in Japan by Hacker International with added nudity. The Hacker version was also released by Sachen in Taiwan). *SA-010 Pyramid II *SA-011 Pipe V (released in Australia by HES as Pipemania) *SA-012 Millionaire (a basic Monopoly clone.) *SA-013 Dancing Blocks *SA-014 Magical Mathematics, aka Magic Mathematic *SA-015 Chess Academy ''(Plays like a five-tile Mahjong game using Chinese Chess pieces.) The Cart has a Dip-Switch which switches the copyright to Sachen & Hacker International. *SA-016 ''Hell Fighter *SA-017 Locksmith (a mix of action and puzzle) *SA-018 Poker Mahjong (Mahjong game using playing cards instead of Mahjong tiles.) *SA-019 The Great Wall *SA-020 Tasac (a basic vertical space shooter) *SA-021 Final Combat *SA-022 Huge Insect (Galaga-style game with a wildlife theme, produced in 1993 but released in the early 2000's) *SA-023 Cosmocop (2 in 1: Cosmocop and Cyber Monster; cartridge says "Light Gun Game", red-grey label) *SA-024 Tough Cop (2-in-1: Tough Cop and Super Tough Cop; cartridge says "Light Gun Game", green label) *SA-025 Taiwan Mahjong II, aka Bonus Tiles Mahjong *SA-026 Mahjong Academy, aka Mahjong School (uses the name and title screen of the arcade game Mahjong Gakuen by Capcom {under the pseudonym "Yuga"}, but nothing else is taken from that game) *SA-027 Mahjong Companion, aka Mahjong Partner (also released by Hacker, which has an extra mode) Others *''Mei Shao Nu Meng Gong Chang'' （美少女梦工厂, literally "Pretty Young Lady Dream-making Factory"） (Chinese-language port of Princess Maker) Multicarts (The Super Cartridge series) *''Super Cartridge Version 1: 4-in-1'' (Bingo 75, Lucky 777, Honey Peach, Chess Academy) *''Super Cartridge Version 2: 10-in-1'' (Hidden Chinese Chess, Omnibus Hearts, Fan Tan, Chinese Rummy, Max 2, Ghost Buster, 99, Change Around, Fortune Telling (Chinese), Fortune Telling (English); all games appear on The World of Card Games or Poker II except both versions of Fortune Telling, which are unique to this cart) *''Super Cartridge Version 3: 8-in-1'' (Jovial Race, Little Red Hood, Twin Eagle, Silent Assault, Super Pang, Mine Sweeper, Mine Sweeper II, Mine Sweeper III; the three versions of Mine Sweeper were only released on this cartridge) *''Super Cartridge Version 4: 6-in-1'' (Master Chu, Metal Fighter, Galactic Crusader, Auto-Upturn, Magic Cube, Super Pang II) *''Super Cartridge Version 5: 7-in-1'' (Penguin and Seal, Middle School English, Pyramid, Magical Mathematics, Strategist {which itself contains Poker Racing and The Battle of Poker}, Olympic I.Q., Chinese Checkers) *''Super Cartridge Version 6: 6-in-1'' (Colorful Dragon, Pyramid II, Pipe V, Millionaire, Dancing Blocks, Locksmith) *''Super Cartridge Version 7: 4-in-1'' (Sidewinder, Happy Pairs, Tasac, Silver Eagle) *''Super Cartridge Version 8: 4-in-1'' (Final Combat, Worm Visitor, Frog Adventure, Magical Tower; all except Final Combat were ported from the Game Boy exclusively for this cartridge) *''Super Cartridge Version 9: 3-in-1'' (Challenge of the Dragon, Rockball, Popo Team) Unreleased *''Bridge'' [橋牌 - Bridge Game] (going by its Chinese name it was probably gonna be an adaption of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_bridge Contract Bridge]. Had been numbered TC-024 and SA-015 before being cancelled) *''Twin Ball'' (aka Bio Bola I. It's numbered TC-026 on certain Sachen flyers and is listed as part of their Intellectual Series.http://nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Element.View&egID=170162&lgID=170263&sID=170795) *''西遊記 to the West'' (listed in the back of Hidden Chinese Chess' Chinese manual with Little Red Hood and Silent Assault;http://qiezei.blogspot.com/2013/09/hidden-chinese-chess-famicom-scans.html Sachen never ended up releasing a game based on the novel. Given the order they're listed it could've been the original TC-003 game.) Old Numbering/Titles On the back of many Sachen carts are a list of other games the company has made, which constantly got updated over time. Some of these labels feature totally different serial numbers, game titles, and even unreleased games. These are some of the noteworthy changes: *TC-012: Poker/Poker I (What World of Card Game is sometimes called on some of Sachen's back labels.) *TC-014: Poker Mahjong ''(Numbering ended up assigned to ''Strategist) *TC-016: 水管六代 Pipe Sixth Generation (Pipe V is listed in its correct spot on the same label as this was found on. Could've been another Pipemania-esque game that got cancelled. Numbering ended up assigned to Happy Pairs.) *TC-015:'' 奧林匹克IQ/IQ?'' (Different Chinese names for Olympic I.Q.) *TC-024 & SA-015: Bridge (Serial numbering got filled in by Rockball and Chess Academy.) *TC-025: Puff Kid (Working title for Q-Boy. Numbering ended up assigned to Silver Eagle.) **Also TC-025: 雷霆旋風 Whirlwind (Going by the Chinese it could've been a working title for Street Heroes, based on one of Street Fighter's Chinese name being 快打旋風.)https://twitter.com/masa_neti/status/962450793432416256 *TC-026: Twin Ball (Unreleased puzzle game; numbering ended up assigned to Q-Boy.) *SA-001:'' 16张麻雀 Mahjong'' (Working name for Taiwan 16 Mahjong.) *SA-006: Bingo 75 (Numbering ended up switched with Honey Peach.) *SA-008: Taiwan Mahjong 2 (Game was pushed back to SA-025; numbering ended up assigned to The Mahjong World) *SA-007: Honey Peach (Numbering switched with Bingo 75.) *SA-013: 宮子 Kid(?) (Unknown; Dancing Block ended up using the serial numbering.) *SA-014: 國中數學 Mathematics (Likely a working title for Magic Mathematics.) *SA-020: Bonus Tiles Mahjong - Taiwan Flower Card Mahjong (Numbering ended up assigned to Tasac.) Game Boy / Game Boy Color Single carts All Sachen's Game Boy single cartridges are GBC ports of their NES games except Beast Fighter, which is a mono game ported from the Mega Duck, despite displaying a 2000 copyright. *1B-001 Beast Fighter *1B-002 Street Rider (Mi Hun Che) *1B-002 Jurassic Boy 2 *1B-003 Thunder Blast Man (AKA Rocman X) - developed by Makon Soft? *1B-004 Street Hero *1B-005'' 2002 Gedou Zhanlue'' (2002格鬥戰略, 2002 Fighter Strategy) - a strategy game based on The King of Fighters. Multicarts Most/all games released on these cartridges were previously available for the Mega Duck. *4B-001 4-in-1 Version 1 Street Rider, Vex Block, Trap & Turn, Duck Adventures. *4B-002 4-in-1 Version 2 Virus Attack, Electron World, Dice, Trouble Zone. *4B-003 4-in-1 Version 3 Taiwan's Mahjong, Japan's Mahjong, Hong Kong's Mahjong, Store Tris. *4B-004 4-in-1 Version 4 Pile Wonder, Snake Roy, Suleiman's Treasure, Puppet Knight. *4B-005 4-in-1 Version 5 Arctic Zone, Magic Tower, Railway, Worm Visitor. *4B-006 4-in-1 Version 6 Bomb Disposer, A-Force, Black Forest Tale, 2nd Space. *4B-007 4-in-1 Version 7 Ant Soldier, Dan Laser, Sky Ace, Zoo Block. *4B-008 4-in-1 Version 8 Captain Knick-Knack, Flea War, Explosive Brick, Magic Maze. *4B-009 4-in-1 Version 9 Zipball, Gorilla, Crazy Burger, Deep. *8B-001 8-in-1 Color Zip Ball, Final Mission Deep, Crazy Rider, Small Gorilla, Street Rider, Vex Block, Trap & Turn, Duck Adventures. *8B-002 8-in-1 Color Virus Attack, Electron World, Trouble Zone, Dice Square, Pile Wonder, Snake Roy, Puppet Knight, Suleiman's Treasure. *8B-003 8-in-1 Color Arctic Zone, Magical Tower, Railway, Worm Visitor, Bomb Disposer, 2nd Space, Black Forest Tale, Armor Force. *8B-004 8-in-1 Color Ant Soldier, Sky Ace, Dan Laser, Zoo Block, Cap Knick=Knack, Flea War, Explosive, Magic Maze. *16B-001 16-in-1 Color Zip Ball, Final Mission Deep, Crazy Rider, Small Gorilla, Street Rider, Vex Block, Trap & Turn, Duck Adventures, ''Virus Attack, Electron World, Trouble Zone, Dice Square, Pile Wonder, Snake Roy, Puppet Knight, Suleiman's Treasure.'' *16B-002 16-in-1 Color Arctic Zone, Magical Tower, Railway, Worm Visitor, Bomb Disposer, 2nd Space, Black Forest Tale, Armor Force, ''Ant Soldier, Sky Ace, Dan Laser, Zoo Block, Cap Knick=Knack, Flea War, Explosive, Magic Maze'.'' *''31-in-1 Mighty Mix'' Sega Genesis / Mega Drive *''Mahjong'' *''Queen of Poker Club 6-in-1'' Mega Duck *''Arctic Zone'' *''Five In One'' (Store Tris, Store Tris 2, Taiwan Mahjong, Japan Mahjong, Hong Kong Mahjong) *''Four In One'' (Virus Attack, Electron World, Trouble Zone, Dice Block) *''Magical Tower'' *''Pile Wonder'' *''Railway'' *''Street Rider'' *''Suleimans' Treasure'' *''Snake Roy'' Watara Supervision *''Galaxy Fighter'' *''Happy Pairs'' *''Magincross'' *''Penguin Hideout'' *''Super Kong'' *''Tasac 2010'' Trivia *In October 1994, Thin Chen Enterprise opened a store in Shanghai near the airport. This came up as a part of a Shanghai development program with Taiwanese companies selling computers and home appliance.http://masterdisk.byethost15.com/blog/libg/static.php?page=sachen-shanghai *Ei-How Yang once worked for Sachen, and is credited in some of their games, mostly as a Game Boy programmer and tester. *Many of Sachen's self-published NES games are simply Famicom boards attached to a 60-72 pin converter, though there are some NES releases (probably the first prints) that use NES boards with a built-in converter switch and serial port. The copies released by other publishers (such as Color Dreams) are proper 72 pin boards. *The style of Sachen's Famicom releases (especially the Joy Van lineup) have a very strong resemblance to Namco's Famicom games. This includes the manual and box's designs as well as the plastic clamshell casing. The later cases have a Sachen logo molded inside. Gallery 002.jpg|1989 advert for the release of Taiwan Mahjong on June 26. (Magazine issue needed) 001.jpg|Incantation ad with a release planned on early August. (Magazine issue needed) SachenjuegosPublicidadElectrolabAG7.jpg|Advertising of Sachen games - Electrolab, Argentina. Action Games Magazine No. 7, 1992 JovialRace-ad-1988.jpg|Jovial Race ad from a 25 November 1988 issue of an unknown mag. Photo courtesy of F. Cifaldi. MahjongTrap-ad-1989.jpg|Magazine ad for Mahjong Trap (TC-010) from the Joy Van era. Issue unknown. Pic courtesy of F. Cifaldi. IncantationMasterChu-ad-1989.jpg|Double page ad for Incantation and Master Chu. References Category:Companies from Taipei, Taiwan Category:Publishers Category:Developers Category:Sachen